New owner, '07 Infiniti G35S w/all the trimmings (save Navi). My initial impressions are favorable for every aspect of the car. I test drove several other competitors, i.e. the Lexus IS 350, The Audi A4 Quattro (I love AWD), and the C-class Mercedes.

I got better than a good deal on my Infiniti, so bang-for-buck I think Infiniti has a serious competitor on their hands to fend off the others. Good power, plenty of luxury features to place it squarely in the market with the previously undisputed sport sedan champions, and a great redesign to capture that eye-candy searching buyer.

I know the styling is actually the one point which seems to have generated the most controversy, especially since for many the performance and luxury aspects were the deciding factors, styling and design queues second. However, I certainly think the properly-equipped G35 sedan is a very delicious design to see, and certainly has its sex appeal.

I was a little disappointed with the car in its base-model trim; I feel the factory-included wheel-and-tire package actually detract from the curvy nature of the design, which is only properly accentuated once the buyer adds the performance wheel package. Otherwise, the car loses a rather significant amount of its classy, sport-tuned appearance. At least, for me it did.

Plus, in base-model trim, I didn't appreciate the lack of certain interior features that makes the car so luxurious to drive...but then, I suppose that's why there are other packages to add to it, right?

I do agree with some of the negative feedback...throttle response is touchy-feely and difficult to govern. Also, while it doesn't bother me in the least, the ride of the G35--and especially the S--doesn't ride like a luxury sedan, and I can see how some who purchased the car primarily for its luxury aspects may be a little disappointed. Personally, I absolutely love the tighter suspension, which gives the car a much lighter, snap-in-your-step feel.

Also, there's a fairly significant blind spot--perhaps in the typical sedan position--but still an annoyance and rather unnerving when attempting to change lanes in moderate to heavy traffic. I don't like that an entire automobile can hide there, if you're not looking for it. So I have to be on my toes and know how to twist my body so that I can see more of the blind spot, and not let it screw me during a lane change or turn.

Other than those two issues, the car is a design success, in my opinion. I think the redesign--just from a visual perspective--was a nice addition and a good progression for the G-series sedan, since I always felt that--while the previous generations looked good--they came across as 'just-another-sedan', and seemed to lack a personality of sorts. The redesign has addressed that, I feel, and to some the additional personality isn't a positive, but I think most will agree the change was for the better. More curve, more blister to the fenders, more definition toward the luxury class, a kind of perfect balance for the sport-sedan-***-luxury-saloon ideal. Bravo, Infiniti.

Oh...and how about that exhaust note? If that isn't engine music, I don't know what is.

An interesting note, however, is that when I went to the website to check on the various available options, I noticed two interesting things about the S model:

1). According to the website, it doesn't come in Ivory Pearl (mine is Ivory Pearl)

2). The options selection doesn't allow you to specify a sunroof and the spoiler option together. It's one or the other, but not both. (Mine has both)

LOL...just a little something interesting I noticed.

 

Nice color choice. It took me all of maybe 15 minutes to adjust to the throttle but your review is spot on with how I felt.

I never test drove the C-class because (despite the available Sport models), they are aimed squarely at luxury, nothing really sporty about them aside from minor styling touch ups.

 

It was the last '07 G35S the dealership had, and they wanted rid of it. Needless to say I damned near stole it from 'em @ $34k out-the-door, so certainly I got a solid deal.

While browsing their site, I realized that their options and color choices seemed to be for the '08 models, so it is possible that I didn't notice when they changed from '07 to '08 when going through their build choices. Anyone know if the '08 G35S is available in Ivory Pearl? I would think so, seeing how popular that color seems to be, but you never know...

 

The reason it doesn't let you specify a sunroof and a spoiler is because you must order the premium package in order to be able to order a spoiler as a factory option. You car has a sunroof that was included in the premium package, thus you were able to get your car with a spoiler. However if you simply ordered your car w/o premium and just got the individual sunroof option, you wouldn't have been able to get the spoiler.

 

damn thats a long post but congrats on the new car.

 

34 out the door??? holy ****! so thats like 32 before tax title and license huh? i thought i got a good deal with 36500 out the door.

 

Yeah, I might not have bought it, but they made me a deal I couldn't refuse. It helped, though, that they had five '07s left, and mine was the last S they had in the five. So I guess you could say the choice was made for me.

 

34k out the door with all the trimmings? Dam thats the biggest steal i seen so far...makes me feel like i got ripped off

Good post and very nice write up. Are you an english teacher or something? Thats some mighty good grammer and punctuation lol

 

Well, thank you, but no, not an English teacher (though I did do well on the subject). My deal was a special situation, though, because the dealership (Cerritos Infiniti) only had a few left, and they were looking to move them in order to get an order of '08 G35 Journeys in Ivory Pearl. Or, at least that's the story they fed me.

Something about the neighborhood surrounding the dealership being primarily asian, and as white is good luck to many asians, the Ivory Pearl gets requested the most, and apparently the Journey package is the most popular, at least in that city and the surrounding areas.

Who knows. I do know it was several thousand under the sticker on the window, and it already seemed a good deal compared to the competitors offerings. I was leaning toward a Lexus IS 350 until I stumbled upon my G35S. I like the form better, and certainly I liked the deal.